OAN Staff Katherine Mosack
8:30 AM – Saturday, December 20, 2025
A jury has found Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan guilty of obstructing federal agents attempting to serve a warrant.
On Friday, the jury announced the decision to find the judge guilty of impeding a proceeding, which is a felony. However, Dugan was found not guilty of the misdemeanor charge of concealing an individual to prevent his arrest or discovery. The verdict was reached after six hours of discussion.
Dugan was arrested in April after helping Eduardo Flores-Ruiz to escape plainclothes Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents who tried to serve him a warrant. Prosecutors said that upon learning the agents were pursuing Flores-Ruiz, Dugan guided him and his attorney out of her courtroom through a back door on April 18th.
In May, Dugan pleaded “not guilty” to all her charges.
Damning video footage came out shortly after Dugan entered her preliminary plea, revealing her confronting the agents in a courthouse hallway and ordering them out through a door before Flores-Ruiz left the building.
Nonetheless, the agents eventually caught up to the illegal immigrant and arrested him.
“While we are disappointed in today’s outcome, the failure of the prosecution to secure convictions on both counts demonstrates the opportunity we have to clear Judge Dugan’s name and show she did nothing wrong in this matter,” Dugan’s defense team said in a statement. “We have planned for this potential outcome and our defense of Judge Dugan is just beginning. This trial required considerable resources to prepare for and public support for Judge Dugan’s defense fund is critical as we prepare for the next phase of this defense.”
U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, Brad Schmiel, stated that Dugan “is certainly not evil nor is she a martyr for some greater cause.” He also added that prosecutors “weren’t trying to make an example out of anyone.”
“This was necessary to hold Judge Dugan accountable in our assessment because of the action she took,” he said.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche had a stronger reaction, saying that Dugan “betrayed her oath and the people she served.”
“Today, a federal jury of her peers found her guilty and sent a clear message: the American people respect law and order. Nobody is above the law,” he wrote on X. “This Department will not tolerate obstruction, will enforce federal immigration law, and will hold criminals to account — even those who wear robes. Thank you to the men and women who keep us safe. We will always protect you.”
The Wisconsin State Supreme Court suspended Dugan with pay in April for a roughly $175,000 a year salary. Her future employment with the court is unclear following her guilty verdict, though the defense is expected to appeal the decision.
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